In the 2024 Easter school holidays (March/April 2024) my family and I travelled to the United States of America for a 25 day road trip through the South and along the Atlantic Coast. We hired a car and started our journey in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, and finished our journey in Charleston, South Carolina. During our trip we also spent time in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Georgia. We followed the I-10, and then on to the I-95. We travelled as a family of 4, with two children aged 3 and 6 years of age. I’ve put together a brief summary of our travels, trying to provide an overview of what we did in each State without going into too much detail and writing pages upon pages of content! I’ve done a separate post for our trip to Disney World, where I put my tips and tricks and what we learned and what we loved. This trip was without a doubt one of the best trips we’ve ever done, we enjoyed every moment, stepped off the beaten tourist track in a few places, and made memories in some of the bucket list places we all hope to visit one day.
Day 1: Started our day shopping at Grapevine Mills, the largest outlet mall in Texas and in the top 10 in the US. After a morning of shopping we headed to downtown Grapevine and wandered up and down Main Street. We loved checking out Texas General Store and Rocket Fizz for souvenirs and unique lollies and sodas. Don’t miss: Grapevine Main Station Observation Tower, Harvest Hall and the Glockenspiel Clock Tower. Accommodation: Hilton DFW Lakes Executive Conference Center
Day 2: Today’s destination was Fort Worth, where we visited the very popular Fort Worth Stockyards – home of the Longhorn Cattle Drive! The cattle drive occurs at 11.30am every day and is a sight to behold. Other fun things were the Cattle Pen Maze, Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, Cowtown Coliseum and the amazing variety of shopping boutiques unique to Texas. Then it was on to downtown Fort Worth, where we strolled Sundance Square and the Fort Worth Water Gardens. Don’t miss: Grab a photo with the disco Cowboy hat in Sundance Square! Accommodation: Courtyard by Marriott Fort Worth Downtown/Blackstone
Day 3: With an early start to get on the road, Waco, Tx was the first stop today. Here we strolled around The Silo’s at Magnolia – Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Destination they have created. You can shop the homewares line, play a game of baseball, join some yard games, grab a bite to eat from the food trucks and generally just relax and take in the atmosphere. We continued on our drive to Beaumont, Tx, stopping at the Sam Houston Visitor Centre where you can get a photo with a 20m high granite statue of General Houston (very prominent figure in Texas political history). Once we arrived in Beaumont, we headed to the South Texas State Fair which happened to be on while we visited! Don’t miss: be sure to purchase some cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery! Accommodation: Baymont by Wyndham Beaumont
Day 4: First up was a visit to the Cattail Marsh Scenic Wetlands & Boardwalk. There are 900-acres of wetlands here, but the drawcard is a huge boardwalk over the wetlands that you can stroll. In the right weather you’ll spot alligators and a huge variety of birdlife. Then we went on to Gator Country, an alligator rescue park where we fed them hotdogs off of cane poles! The drive back to the hotel took us past Lucas Gusher, a monument to the history of Beaumont and the oil rush times. Don’t miss: There is a midday Alligator show where you learn about some of the biggest gators in the park and get some great photos of them being fed. Accommodation: Baymont by Wyndham Beaumont
Day 5: Today we left Texas for Louisiana, but not before first stopping by the Worlds Largest Working Fire Hydrant! Donated to Beaumont by Disney in honour of the premiere of 101 Dalmations movie, the hydrant is a great spot to stop for a photo.
Day 5 continued: Arriving into Louisiana we stopped at the Louisiana Welcome Center for breathtaking views over the lake and to pick up a few visitor guides and brochures. We continued straight on to the Gator Chateau at Jeff Davis Parish Visitor Centre, where you can hold baby gators for free! This is a great visitor centre, with lots of information and plenty of animal encounters. Our next stop was a swamp tour with Cajun Pride Swamp Tours. This is a highly rated swamp tour, with many people taking day trips from New Orleans to visit. We saw so many gators in the wild and got to hold a young gator too! We stayed the night in Gonzales, a small town just at the start of Plantation Alley, ready for tomorrow. Don’t miss: Gator tours are always fully booked – don’t miss out and make sure you pre-book. Accommodation: Clarion Inn and Conference Center, Gonzales
Day 6: A drive down River Road and into New Orleans is a must do if you’re in Louisiana. Here, you will find many historic Plantation Houses that are open to the public. We visited Houmas Plantation and Oak Alley Plantation, but there are many to choose from depending on your interests. The gardens at Houmas Plantation were absolutely stunning, and you can’t miss the ever so photogenic Oak Alley Plantation that also includes a very thoughtful and insightful exhibit on the life of black slaves and the poor conditions they were subject to. I was a bit worried how the kids would handle this day, but they enjoyed the space to wander around and we decided not to tour inside the houses (we have actually visited before and done this, so we didn’t feel we were missing out). We arrived at dusk to New Orleans lighting up for the night’s entertainment! Don’t miss: While New Orleans is best known for its nightlife, it is quite family friendly and children will happily be accommodated in bars in the early hours of the evening, so take an early dinner and enjoy! Accommodation: Bourbon New Orleans
Day 7: We started the day with a trip to Vue Orleans, the observation deck that includes a fabulous interactive museum on the history of New Orleans. We all loved this visit, we learned about the life of the Mississippi River and the hundreds of ships that pass through each day, as well as the history of Jazz music and its place as one of the entertainment captials of the world. We then headed to catch a Trolley on the famous St Charles line – along with hundreds of others!! There was no way we were going to be able to get on the trolley as a family (and carrying a travel pram) so we had to ditch this idea and catch an Uber instead to the Audubon Zoo. This is one of the top ten zoos in the US, and has operated since 1884! This was the only zoo we visited in the US and boy was it worth it. The variety of animals and the fantastic exhibits kept us there right up until closing time! Don’t miss: The zoo has a train ride that is an additional cost – it’s worth doing to hear the commentary and learn more about the animals. Also, be sure to grab a $1.50 roman chewing candy stick, they’ve been making them in this cart since 1915! Accommodation: Bourbon New Orleans
Day 8: Easter Sunday! Traveling when there is a holiday can be tricky, but fortunately in New Orleans (in fact, most of the US) nothing stops for Easter! Very different to Australia, here there are no closures and it’s not considered a public holiday. In New Orleans there are three Easter Parades and we managed to watch all of them. The first of the day was the Historic French Quarter Parade, where ladies don their finest pastels and ridiculously extravagant hats and ride in mule-drawn carriages or vintage convertibles. The next parade was the French Quarter Parade, where there are giant floats, dance troupes and throws galore. The final parade was the Gay Easter Parade, which focuses on the creativity and imagination of New Orleans’ LGBTQ+ community and is filled with colourful costumes, pumping music and drag galore. In between the parades, we wandered the streets of the French Quarter, stopping at Jackson Square to see the St Louis Cathedral and shopping at the French Market. Don’t miss: You haven’t visited New Orleans if you don’t get beignets from Café Du Monde and sit and listen to the jazz musicians busking on the street. Accommodation: Bourbon New Orleans
Day 9: The only ‘fail’ of our trip happened today. We planned to visit the City Park which is one of the oldest parks in the US dating back to 1854, but it is closed on a Monday!! So we made the best of it and changed our plans to visit the Audubon Aquarium and Insectarium. Both of these sights are fairly small and we got through them in half a day. They were extremely interesting though and we’re glad we added this to our itinerary! Afterwards we headed to the Riverwalk Outlets and picked up some great bargains. Accommodation: Bourbon New Orleans
Day 10: The first rainy day of our trip, but luckily we dodged the worst of it. We left New Orleans and drove on to Mobile, Alabama – making a quick stop at the Mississippi Information Centre just so we could say we added another State to our list! Mobile, Alabama is absolutely dripping in history and this is one place we can’t wait to return to and discover more. While many think that New Orleans is the home of the Mardi Gras, Mobile is actually the original home! With a diverse history since the early 1700s, Mobile has been governed by the British, Spanish, Indians, Independent, Confederates and then joining the United States. Given it was raining and there was so much we wanted to see in Mobile, we jumped on a guided Trolley Tour which gave us the most perfect introduction to this town. Don’t miss: Mobile is known for its BBQ, and Moe’s BBQ did not disappoint – it was packed with locals too! Accommodation: Holiday Inn Mobile-Dwtn/Hist. District, an IHG Hotel, Mobile
Day 11: We left Mobile, Alabama early in the morning for a massive day of driving all the way on to Florida. We stopped to stretch our legs a few times, but mostly we tackled this almost 8 hour drive in one day! This leg of the route has the least amount to see, and while we wanted to stop at a couple of springs they were unfortunately closed so we chose to push on with the drive instead. Accommodation: Holiday Inn Express and Suites Ormond Beach North Daytona, an IHG Hotel
Day 12: Today we headed straight to The Kennedy Space Centre! This is our second visit and it was just as good as the first. The Space Centre part itself is only small, with a few short film exhibits, a Rocket Garden and a massive indoor children’s playground, but it’s the Behind the Scenes tour that you want. You get the basic tour included with entry, but both times we have visited we have upgraded to the Explore Tour, which allows you to stop at a few sites and capture photo opportunities and view icons of NASA spaceflight operations. On the tour we visited the Launch Pads used by NASA and Space X, the Vehicle Assembly Building (the largest single story building in the world, built to assemble the Apollo–Saturn V space vehicle in a vertical position), the Press Pits used on launch days, and the Apollo–Saturn V space centre. Even if you have only the slightest bit of interest in space exploration, don’t miss this day! When we left, we headed for Disney World and dropped in to Disney Springs for dinner. Disney Springs is like an outdoor shopping, dining and entertainment complex and you don’t require Disney tickets to go here! Don’t miss: the indoor children’s playground. It’s hidden away, but this place is incredible. Multiple levels that provide educational yet fun learning opportunities for the kids. Accommodation: Disney’s Pop Century
Day 13: The day the kids have been waiting for – Disney World! We started off by visiting Animal Kingdom, and we’ll spend one day at each of the four Disney World parks over the next week. Our strategy for each day was to get in the Park under “Early Access” hours as we were staying at a Disney Resort, so we started our days around 7am at each theme park. The Avatar rides were absolutely incredible and worth the early start to get on without queuing. Animal Kingdom is like visiting a zoo, with exceptional rides. So many animals to see, and you get to go behind the scenes on some of the rides. There are also some great stage shows to watch – The Lion King and Finding Nemo – which are so high quality you would normally pay just to see shows like this! At the end of our Animal Kingdom day we park hopped over to Epcot for dinner. We have two evenings to spend at Epcot, so have split the park in two to get it done. Epcot is mostly known for its ‘eat around the World’ option, where you can buy small snacks from each country’s pavilion. Don’t miss: if you’re using Rider Swap to ride the Avatar ride, make sure the parent waiting gets to wander around and look at the line up area – you’ll miss it when you take the Express Lane and there is so much detail in the design! Accommodation: Disney’s Pop Century
Day 14: Today was Hollywood Studios day! This was probably our least favourite park overall, but it does have Toy Story Land which should be on everyone’s ‘to do’ list, and all the Star Wars rides. We ‘divided and conquered’ here, with my husband going solo to the Star Wars Land and I took the kids to Toy Story Land. I’m not a fan of adrenalin rides so I was happy with this arrangement – the kids would also have been bored with the standing around in Star Wars Land. We spent a bit over half a day here, and if it wasn’t for Star Wars and the fact we had purchased Park Hoppers, we probably would have skipped this park. Shortly after lunch we hopped back over to Epcot and got through most of the rides here that we wanted to see. Probably the highlight of Epcot was the Moana Journey of Water interactive exhibit – it’s not a ride, but you get to interact with all the different water elements and the kids had a blast. You can easily spend half an hour in this area. It was a last minute decision by us to purchase Park Hoppers and head over to Epcot and I’m so glad we did. This was probably one of our favourite spots for the atmosphere. Don’t miss: Epcot has numerous festivals going on throughout the year. Try to line up your visit to coincide with one! We visited during the Flower and Garden Show and what a treat it was! Also, do yourselves a favour and buy the Werther’s Original caramel corn from the German Pavilion. Accommodation: Disney’s Pop Century
Day 15: Today was the big one – Magic Kingdom! This is the park you think of when people say Disney, it has the castle! Prepare yourselves to be here from Open to Close if you want to get everything done, it’s a big one. We made the most of the extra hours for Disney Hotel guests, and rope dropped as much as we possibly could. There were plenty of rides for the kids here, and we made sure to stop regularly for snacks as there is so much to do. My favourite snack was the fruit waffle with Nutella, and of course, anything Mickey themed! Don’t miss: there is a fun indoor play area as part of the line up for the Dumbo ride. Even if you don’t do the ride, you can use the play area! This is great if you need respite from the heat or the kids want to burn some energy. Accommodation: Disney’s Pop Century
Day 16: Disney is done, but now it’s time for Universal Studios! They’re pretty sneaky here – the original park is pretty lacking now-a-days, and it really seems that they’ve set it up so you need to buy the 2-park access pass which is what we did. With this, you can catch the Hogwarts Express between the 2 parks – a very fun experience! We wandered around Diagon Alley and Hogsmede, had fun in the Minion World, watched baby t-rex’s hatch in Jurassic World, and explored the crazy wonderful world of Seuss. Don’t miss: there is a fun Seuss World play area that includes some water play (not enough to get really wet), and in Harry Potter World if you buy a wand from Ollivander’s you can cast magic spells throughout Diagon Alley and Hogsmede – check the magic map in your box! Accommodation: Disney’s Pop Century
Day 17: the last day of theme parks and we’re on to LegoWorld! This was a special treat as my youngest son turned 3 years old during our holiday and we celebrated his birthday here. We explored Ninjago World, Duplo World, the Lego replicas of many of the world icons and landmarks, sailed in lego boats, drove lego cars and raced lego fire trucks! We stayed onsite at the LegoLand hotel and this was definitely the highlight for my kids. Don’t miss: I would suggest doing Duplo World first at LegoLand, and going anti-clockwise around the park. We went clockwise and the kids were very tired by the end which was where the best rides were! Accomodation: Legoland Hotel
Day 18: We left Florida and drove on to Savannah, Georgia. On our way we stopped at Amelia Island, one of the most northern beaches in Florida and known for finding shark teeth right on the sand! We spent some time fossicking and found one shark tooth. The kids loved the chance to stretch their legs here too. We arrived into Savannah at night fall, so strolled along the waterfront, grabbed some dinner and did a little shopping. Don’t miss: when you’re driving between locations, think outside the box for rest stops. Amelia Island was a great beach in the cutest of towns. Search for National and State Parks, monuments, and natural wonders for great bonus adventures! Accommodation: Staybridge Suites Savannah Downtown
Day 19: We awoke to a huge thunderstorm with tornado warnings! Only our second day of rain this trip, the forecasts said it should clear by 10am and sure enough, we had a beautiful day! While we waited for the showers to pass and clouds to clear we jumped on a Trolley tour of the town. By lunchtime we were ready to stroll downtown, looking at all the historical shops and stopping for ice-cream at Leopolds (a 100yr old icecreamery!). Savannah is one of the first ‘planned towns’ which means that everything is set up in a grid system and there are 16 garden squares throughout. We walked from Main Street all the way down to Forsyth Park which is known for its beautiful fountain. Savannah is also known for the very famous movie, Forrest Gump! Forsyth Park has a huge children’s playground and garden café, so we stopped here for the kids to play and to grab some food. We then walked back to the waterfront and headed to the JW Marriott Hotel, which has a small museum exhibit in the foyer that is open to the public. I’d heard about this and knew it was perfect for our boys – dinosaur skeletons, huge gemstones, and fossils. They loved it! As we walked along the waterfront we watched the paddle steamers and the cargo ships sail past – such a contrast! Dinner was at The Pirate House, opened in 1753 as an Inn for seafarers, it is now a restaurant steeped in history. Don’t miss: Savannah is best seen on foot, to really experience the beautiful homes, shops and history. The Waterfront area is undergoing a revitalization project and is a great spot for tourists! Accommodation: Staybridge Suites Savannah Downtown
Day 20: Time to leave Savannah and head to Charleston, South Carolina for our final stop. Along the way we stopped at the Angel Oak Tree, a 400 year old Oak tree that is absolutely incredible. To think what that tree has lived through – wars, hurricanes, and so much progress. We then went to Magnolia Plantation, one of the oldest Plantations in the US, dating to 1679. This is the home to the very first public garden, and you can ride a train around the gardens to learn about the plantation, the slaves who worked the land, and the families who have lived there over the years. Interestingly, when enslavement was abolished, many chose to stay on as paid workers at Magnolia Plantation and their descendants are still working there to this day. For dinner tonight we headed to a very popular Southern BBQ restaurant, Home Team BBQ, and joined the locals for Friday night dinner and drinks! Don’t miss: there is a small animal enclosure at Magnolia Plantation, with some local animals to see. It’s nothing fancy, but great for the kids if they get bored with the history side of things! Accommodation: Charleston Creekside Inn
Day 21: Today was some more history for us, as we visited Charles Towne Landing, a State Park that preserves the original site of the first permanent English settlement in the Carolinas. We happened to be visiting on Founder’s Day, their annual festival, so they had many re-enactment actors around the Park demonstrating how life would have been when they first arrived. They even had a cannon firing which was very interesting to watch (and extremely loud!). They have a replica boat you can go on, and there is an Animal Forest, home to species of animals that were indigenous to the Carolinas in the 1670s that the settlers would have encountered. We saw bison, pumas, bobcats, bears, red wolves and deer. After this, we went on to the Low Country Strawberry Festival which happened to be on! Boone Hall Plantation is still a working farm these days and they host an annual Strawberry Festival. I love going along to local events like these and this was so much fun. We then went to Pitt Street Bridge, once a trolley bridge that connected Sullivan’s Island and Mount Pleasant, it’s now a public park and popular for local fishermen. You can walk right out over the water to the very end of the old bridge. For dinner we headed to nearby Shem Creek, known for its stunning sunsets over the low country waterways and swamplands. We watched floating bars sail up and down the Creek, and many of the waterside restaurants were absolutely pumping with music! Don’t miss: always search on social media for local events that might be happening at your destination. They’re often free or low cost, and give you a real glimpse into the local way of life. Accommodation: Charleston Creekside Inn
Day 22: We moved into the Historic part of Charleston today, and started off with a children’s pirate tour! This was a great compromise between learning some of the vast history of Charleston and keeping the kids entertained. The tour caters for children and they got pirate hats and inflatable swords, and went on a treasure hunt where they learned about Charleston’s infamous pirates. We then wandered along The Battery, taking in the historic houses, cobblestone streets, and horse carriages driving around. Don’t miss: take a horse carriage tour to get the best insight to the history of Charleston. To preserve the area, there is a route lottery and each carriage company must check in with the lottery administrator at the start of their tour. Then they’re given a route number – 1, 2 or 3. You don’t know what you’ll get, but they’re all fabulous! Accommodation: The Mills House, Charleston
Day 23: We had a slow start today, as we near the end of the trip and focus on a bit of rest and relaxation. Once we were up and moving we headed to an amazing children’s museum called The Children’s Museum of the Low Country. It’s a not for profit that focuses on inspiring creativity and encouraging exploration of the world around us. The kids could explore building projects with real tools, there was a Lowcountry pirate ship they could play on, arts and crafts room, mini supermarket, kids garden and outdoor play, and sensory spaces. We easily spent half a day here while the kids played. On our walk back to the hotel we went via King Street, known for the high street shops and cafes. It’s a real shopping destination for the locals and it was a fun walk to people watch! At sunset, we had booked a local photographer to take some family photos of us at local landmarks. This was such a fun experience and the photos we got back were phenomenal. Definitely something I’d recommend doing! Don’t miss: we made sure to walk up Meeting Street in the morning, and then back down King Street in the afternoon. These are the two main streets in Charleston so it was great to tick them both off the list and cover a lot of ground. Accommodation: The Mills House, Charleston
Day 24: Our second last day in Charleston, today was about soaking up the atmosphere. We wandered around the Charleston City Market, which is a historic market complex stretching four city blocks that was established in 1790s, and has operated as a market ever since. We also walked along the Waterfront Park Pier, past the Pineapple Fountain and down to Rainbow Row – all very much ‘must see’ locations in Charleston! We spent some time by the hotel pool, and getting our things organized for our departure tomorrow. Don’t miss: The fountains along the waterfront are classified as ‘public pools’ and you’re allowed to get in them! Don’t be surprised seeing children in their togs having a splash in the Pineapple Fountain. Accommodation: The Mills House, Charleston
Day 25: Our last day in the US, we spent the morning at the Charleston Aquarium. It is only small, but it was a real highlight as there are plenty of opportunities to get up close and personal with the animals and exhibits. It was a great way to burn some energy and prepare us for the next 20 odd hours of travel and flying time!
